Lombard told UFC Tonight he has decided to the make the drop from middleweight down to the 170-pound weight class. He also has his eyes on a potential opponent, Nate Marquardt.

To say that Lombard’s UFC tenure thus far hasn’t gone as planned would be an understatement. The former Bellator middleweight champion was one of the most high profile 185-pound UFC signings in recent memory, entering the Octagon without a loss in his preceding 25 fights.

Lombard lost to Tim Boetsch in his promotional debut. He made an impressive rebound by knocking out submission ace Rousimar Palhares, but then stumbled again, losing to Yushin Okami.

Having been a champion at both light heavyweight and middleweight outside of the UFC, Lombard will now try to kick-start his career in the Octagon by making to move to welterweight.

There has been no word yet when Lombard will make his UFC welterweight debut or if he will be granted his wish of facing former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt.